Cessna 172S accident near Lawrence, Kansas, March 10, 2010
On March 10, 2010 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N99HV, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Lawrence, Kansas (Lawrence Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate glide path during approach. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's decision to continue the approach instead of going around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 2010 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lawrence, Kansas · Lawrence Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N99HV · registry record · serial 172S10090
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings. During the first approach she felt that her approach was too high, so she pitched down slightly, leveled off, and landed on the main landing gear. After landing, the airplane porpoised twice and then landed flat and hard. The pilot taxied back to the hangar and had the airplane examined for damage. None was found, so she took off again and continued her training. Sometime after the flight the firewall was found buckled. The student pilot's recommendation for preventing the accident was to add power and go around.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Altitude deviation during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 45 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 45 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,616 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 3, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hetrick Air Services, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: LWC Lawrence KS at 8:30 pm
- Destination: LWC Lawrence KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 5,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.45 inHg
- Observation at 8:30 pm from LWC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N99HV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN10CA163.